Convicted campdraft molester applies for bail

Pam has been at the Daily Mercury since March 2013 and has also worked as a journalist in Batemans Bay and Wellington both in NSW. And yes, that does make her a Blues supporter. Growing up she moved around different places including Sydney, Moree, Wollongong and lived for about two years as a high school student on a small island in Micronesia called Pohnpei. Pam loves water sports, including SCUBA diving, snorkelling and kayaking but her awful balance means she’ll never touch a surf board. Ever...

A WARWICK man who was convicted of molesting a girl under 16 years old at campdrafts has been denied release from jail while awaiting the outcome of an appeal.

Following a trial at Toowoomba District Court last month, a jury found the 73-year-old man guilty of maintaining a sexual relationship with a girl under 16 years old and indecent treatment of a child under 16 under his care.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the woman, would molest her when they worked with horses together, including when they went on trips to campdraft events.

The man has appealed his conviction and applied for bail at Brisbane Supreme Court while awaiting this outcome.

During his bail application hearing on Tuesday, his barrister Stephen Courtney said there was a danger an innocent man had been convicted.

But Justice Jean Dalton said the prospects of appealing the conviction were not strong.

She said the man claimed the verdict was unreasonable based on the weight of the evidence; she said this was a difficult ground to prove.

She also said the man's argument on appeal was based on a lack of witnesses to what the woman said happened and that some of the evidence was inconsistent and vague.

Under the law, the man could be eligible for bail if he showed exceptional circumstances.

But Justice Dalton said the prospects of appeal were not strong and that the man had not shown he had extraordinary circumstances.